Wire fence



(No Model.)

' M. 0. TEEEY.

WIEE FENCE.

Patente'd June 23 NITED STATES xPATENT OFFICE.

` MACK C. TERRY, OF MARSEILLES, OHIO.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,558, dated J' une 23, 1896. Application ned July 13,1895. seri51N0.555,s91. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that l, MACK O. TERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marseilles, in the county of Wyandot and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful lVire Fence, of which the following is a specication.

The invention relates to improvements in wire fences.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of wire fences, and to provide simple and efficient means for enabling the fence-wires to be maintained at the desired tension, and to prevent any liability of the fence-wires accidentally breaking by providing a compensating device, which will permit the fence-wires to expand and contract under variations in temperature.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a fence constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the frame of one of the wire-stretchers. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the drum or windlass-shaft. Fig. 4L is a detail perspective View of the lever. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating the manner of mounting the pawl on the lever. Fig. G is a detail perspective view of one of the stays or pickets.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. I

1 designates a series of horizontally-disposed fence -wires, designed to be permanently secured at one end of a fence to an end post, and loosely stapled or secured to an end post 2 at the other end of the fence, the staples 3 permitting the fence-wires to be drawn through them in straining the fence to the desired tension. The fence-wires, after passing through the staples 3 of the end post 2, are secured to an attachment-bar 4, at opposite sides thereof, to prevent any liability of the bar 4E turning or twisting and straining the fence. The attachment-bar is supported by an inclined wire 5, extending downward and outward from the upper end of the post 2 to the lower end of the attachmentbar 4, whereby, whenl the attachment-bar is forced outward from the post, by means hereinafter described, the attachment-bar will move slightly upward.

The attachment-bar is centrally engaged by a pawl or dog 6, and is provided with a recess 7 for the reception of the same. The inner end of the dog 6 is pivoted by a holt 8 or other suitable fastening device in a slot 9 of a straining-lever 10, which is fulcruined on the end post by means of a bolt 11. The lever is pivoted at its outer end, and is provided at its lower edge with an enlargement for the reception of the dog, and the lever extends a suflicient distance from the end post, and has sufficient weight to maintain the fence-wires at the desired tension. When the fence-wires expand, the lever drops sufficiently to take up any slack, and the contraction of the fence-wires will operate to raise A the lever, and thereby relieve them of any severe strain, l

The fence-wires are tightened independently by means of wire-stretchers 12, located intermediate of the end posts, and adapted to be located at any desired point, and comprising a substantially rectangular frame 13, provided in its sides with bearing-openings 14, a windlass-shaft or drum 15, j ournaled in the bearing-openings, and a pawl and ratchet 1G and 1,7 for securing the windlass-shaft or drum against accidental retrograde rotation to maintain a fence-wire at a given tension. The frame 13 is provided at its ends with openings 18, through which passes a fence-- wire, and the windlass-shaft or drum has a longitudinal slot 19, to enable it to engage readily a fence-wire, and the frame 13 is provided at its ends with diagonally-disposed slots 20, arranged at an angle to each other and communicating with the openings 18, and enabling the frame to be readily placed on and quickly removed from a fence-wire.

The ratchet-wheel is preferably formed integral with the windlass-shaft or drum, and the pawl is pivotally mounted on one side of the rectangular frame, and engages the ratchet wheel or teeth. The windlass-shaft or drum is provided with a squared or polygonal extension 21, projecting from the frame,

IOO

and adapted to be engaged by a wrench or crank handle, or some other similar tool, for the purpose of rotating the drum or windlassshaft to stretch a fence-wire.

The fence is provided at intervals with vertical stays or pickets 22, preferably rectan gular in cross-section, and provided at intervals with diagonally-disposed perforations 23, to receive the fence-wires, and having hori- Zontal kerfs or slots 24, communicating with the perfor-ations and enabling the fence-wires to be readily engaged in and interlocked with the perforations of the stay or picket. The perforations are located in a plane slightly above that of the kerfs orslots, and the weight of the picket or stay operates to hold the wires in the perforations, and prevents any liability of the stay or picket becoming accidentally disengaged from the fence-wires. The slots orkerfs and the perforations permit the stay to be applied at any desired point after the fence-wires have been stretched and secured to fence-posts, and the stays or pickets may be, if desired, shifted along the fence-wires.

It will be seen that the fence-wires are adapted to be simultaneously stretched and maintained at the desired tension, that they are permitted to expand and contract under the iniiuenee of varying temperatures, and that they will be prevented from breaking.

It will also be apparent that the fence-wires may be stretched independently of one another in order to enable the device for stretching them simultaneously to operate properly on all of the fence-wires, and to stretch them uniformly,and that an efficient mid-wire takeup is provided.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

W'hat I claim isl. In a fence, the combination of fencewires, and end posts loosely connected with the fence-wires, an attachment-bar located adjacent to the end post, and havin the fencewire secured to it, a dog centrally engaging the attachment-bar, and a straining-lever fulcrumed at one end on the post and pivotally 5o connected with and carrying the dog and havin gits other end free and operating as a weight to maintain the wires at the proper tension, and capable of yielding or swinging upward to prevent the fence-wires from breaking, substantially as described.

2. In a fence, the combination of a fencepost, horizontal fence-wires loosely connected with the post, an attachment-bar secured to the fence-wires and located beyond the post and arranged substantially parallel therewith, an inclined supporting-wire extending downward from the top of the post and secured to the lower end'of the attachment-bar, the straining-lever fulcrumed on the post, and a dog centrally engaging the attachmentbar and pivotally connected to the straininglever the latter being free to swing upward and downward and operating as a weight to maintain the wires at the proper tension, substantially as described.

In a fence, a mid-wire take-up, comprising a rectangular frame having bearing-openings intermediate of its ends, provided at the latter with wire-receiving openings and having diagonally-disposed slots forming entrances to the wire-receivin g openin gs to permit a fence-wire to be readily introduced into the openings when the wire is slack, and to prevent it from leaving the openings when under tension, and a windlass-shaft j ournaled in the bearing-openings and provided with a longitudinal slot extending inward from one end of the shaft to enable the latter to engage a fence-wire at a point intermediate of the ends of the same, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MACK C. TERRY. Vitnesses:

WV. J. OcHs,

THOMAS B. BLACK. 

